Rwanda: more than a hundred dead in floods

Homes were flooded following heavy rains that triggered flooding and landslides in Rubavu district, Western Province, May 3, 2023. REUTERS - JEAN BIZIMANA

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

In Rwanda, a country regularly affected by floods and landslides, violent rains overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, May 3 caused the death of 127 people in several districts in the interior of the country, according to the provisional assessment of the authorities.

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With our correspondent in Kigali, Lucie Mouillaud

It was late afternoon on Tuesday that the rains began to cause, in the evening and overnight, floods and landslides in the southern, western and northern provinces of the country. The result: a toll that continues to climb with more than a hundred deaths recorded, houses destroyed, fields flooded and roads cut.

Floods and landslides during the rainy season are common in Rwanda. 60 weather-related deaths had already been recorded between January and April by the authorities, but according to local media, this episode is the deadliest reported recently.

In a message posted on Twitter, President Paul Kagame offered his condolences to the families of the victims. "The command centre is actively coordinating the emergency response," he said, citing nine districts where response teams are working to assist people in the affected areas.

My deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of the landslides and floods that occurred last night in the Western, Northern and Southern Provinces. We are doing everything within our means to address this difficult situation. I am personally following up...

— Paul Kagame (@PaulKagame) May 3, 2023

The floods come just one day after the publication of the Rwandan meteorological agency's alarming forecast, with above-average rains expected for the first ten days of May, especially in the northwest of the country.

A river burst its banks....

Alain Mukuralinda, Deputy Spokesperson of the Rwandan Government:

Paulina Zidi

Ubutumwa bw'Umukuru w'Igihugu ku bibasiwe n'ibiza.

Message from H.E. the President to population affected by flooding and landslides. pic.twitter.com/sf69DcwQN4

— Presidency | Rwanda (@UrugwiroVillage) May 3, 2023

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• Rwanda
• Natural disasters